Tigers or Tisbes? (Or better yet what is a copepod?)

:     You've decided that today is the day, you are going to add that fish you've been waiting on. As they are bagging it your lfs says, "Don't forget to grab some copepods to feed it!"  You nod and think, "What are copepods and which kind do I need..."  By definition copepods are a microscopic or small aquatic crustacean that belong to the larger class Copepoda.  While there are plenty of different types we're going to keep it simple. The two types common to the marine environment are the ones that drift in the water (planktonic) and those that live on the ocean floor (benthic).  Here at Off The Hook we carry both.  The Tisbe pods that we carry are benthic, and the the Tiger pods are planktonic.

     So which one is better? Both of these copepods are great to have in your tank, but they serve slightly different purposes.  Here's a little comparison on them:  
    

TIGER PODS

• ​Planktonic (Drift in the water)
• Larger, easily visible to the naked eye
• More densely packed nutrition-wise
• Slightly harder to begin colonizing in      a tank
• Better for fish with bigger mouths
• Better for picky eater: the size, color,     and movement is more enticing
• Beta Carotine in them can enhance      fish's coloring

TISBE PODS

• ​Benthic (Live on the bottom surface)
• Smaller, seen with magnifying glass
• Easier to colonize (produce more      \   offspring at a faster rate)
• Able to be eaten by fish with smaller      mouths
• Gentle on fish digestive system

     While the mandarin goby is the fish that is most commonly associated with eating copepods, they are an excellent food source for a wide variety of marine life.  Pipefish, seahorses, dragonettes, scooted blennies, butterflies, and some types of corals all enjoy copepods.  Beyond being a great food source for your fish and coral, they are also detritivores.   They will eat any detritus out of your tank including fish waste and algae. In addition to eating detritus, you can help any uneaten copepods thrive and colonize by feeding them live phytoplankton and also adding in rotifers for the Tiger pods.  
     
      Next time you are in our store be sure to grab a bottle of Copepods for a nutritional boost for even your pickiest eaters!